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045 - Chapter 31 - Part 6 · The American Revolution A Historical Overview Vol. 3

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  Speaker 1: Section forty five of History the Rise of Progress and
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  Speaker 1: Termination of the American Revolution, Volume three by Mercy Otis Warren.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information, or the volunteer pleased
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  Speaker 1: us LibriVox dot org. History the Rise, Progress and Termination
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  Speaker 1: of the American Revolution, Volume three by Mercy Otis Warren,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty one, Part six. But the Gallican nation at
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  Speaker 1: this period was not viewed with that cordiality by some
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  Speaker 1: classes in America which might have been expected. The government
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  Speaker 1: of the United States manifestly discovered a coolness to a
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  Speaker 1: nation which had so essentially aided the great American cause
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  Speaker 1: in the darkest of its days, a nation with whom
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  Speaker 1: the United States had formed treaties and become the allies
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  Speaker 1: from interestness, necessity, and gratitude, and to whom they yet
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  Speaker 1: felt obligations that could not be easily canceled. The President
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  Speaker 1: had indeed published a proclamation of neutrality and made great
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  Speaker 1: professions of friendship to the Republic of France. He also
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  Speaker 1: sent envoys to reside there while the government of France
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  Speaker 1: was in the hands of the Directory. But it was
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  Speaker 1: thought the appointment was not the most judicious, a character
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  Speaker 1: eccentric from youth to declining age, A man of pleasure, pride,
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  Speaker 1: in extravagance, pondered the trappings of monarchy, and implicated by
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  Speaker 1: a considerable portion of the citizens of America, as deficient
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  Speaker 1: in principle, was not a suitable person for a resident minister.
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  Speaker 1: In France, at so important a crisis, the Gallican nation
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  Speaker 1: was in the utmost confusion, the effervescence of opposition to
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  Speaker 1: their revolution boiling eye in most parts of Europe. Dissensions
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  Speaker 1: were heightening in America, and existing treaties and danger of
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  Speaker 1: being shaken. These circumstances required a man of stable principles
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  Speaker 1: and respectability of character, rather than a dexterous agent or
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  Speaker 1: political mischief, whose abilities and address were well adapted either
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  Speaker 1: for private or court intrigue. The existencies of affairs, both
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  Speaker 1: at home and abroad required an American negotiator of different
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  Speaker 1: abots and manners. A supercedure took place. Mister Monroe, a
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  Speaker 1: gentleman upon impeachable integrity, much knowledge and information, united with
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  Speaker 1: distinguished abilities, great strength of mind, and a strong attachment
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  Speaker 1: to the Republican system, was appointed and sent forward by
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  Speaker 1: President Washington, a full detail of the state and situation
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  Speaker 1: of France on the arrival of mister Monroe in a
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  Speaker 1: diplomatic character. The impressions that had been made on the
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  Speaker 1: directory relative to American affairs, the conduct of his predecessor,
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  Speaker 1: and his own negotiations, may be seen at large in
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  Speaker 1: a general view afterwards given by him of existing prejudices
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  Speaker 1: which had arisen a misrepresentation, neglect, or design from the
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  Speaker 1: excision of the King of France. Until the recall and
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  Speaker 1: return of mister Monroe to his native country, it was
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  Speaker 1: generally believed that America derived no advantage from the former
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  Speaker 1: ministers repairing to England. After his mission was entered in France,
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  Speaker 1: he there continued for some time fomenting by his leathers
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  Speaker 1: the jealousies which had already arisen between the United States
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  Speaker 1: of America and the Republic of France. These jealousies were
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  Speaker 1: increased by a variety of clauses, and the dissensions of
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  Speaker 1: party in America arose to such a height as to
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  Speaker 1: threaten the dissolution of that strong cement which ought to
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  Speaker 1: bind the colonies together forever. Princess of opinion. With the
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  Speaker 1: assuming demeanor of some of his officers, nor often urged
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  Speaker 1: to measures that he neither approved nor wished for. Rendered
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  Speaker 1: the President of the United States less happy than he
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  Speaker 1: was before he sanctioned by his name a treaty which
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  Speaker 1: was disgusted into almost every state in the Union, and
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  Speaker 1: which perhaps he never would have signed, but from the
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  Speaker 1: impressive influence of heads of departments and other favorites about
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  Speaker 1: his person. This was a class of men who had
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  Speaker 1: been implicated by a considerable portion of the people as
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  Speaker 1: prompting the President of the United States to call out
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  Speaker 1: a body of militia consisting of fifteen thousand men, obstensibly
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  Speaker 1: to subdue a trivial insurrection at the westward, which was
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  Speaker 1: asserted by many judicious persons acquainted with the circumstances might
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  Speaker 1: have been subdued by five hundred only. They attributed this
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  Speaker 1: effort to a wish to try the experiment of the
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  Speaker 1: promptitude with which an army might be called forth to
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  Speaker 1: subserve the purposes of government, to enhance the dignity of
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  Speaker 1: office and the supreme power of the first magistrate. There
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  Speaker 1: was certainly a class who aimed not so much to
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  Speaker 1: promote the honor of the national character as to establish
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  Speaker 1: the basis of a standing army, and other projects approaching
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  Speaker 1: to Despotic's way, which cannot be supported in America without
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  Speaker 1: the aid of that dangerous engine. It is dangerous, indeed,
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  Speaker 1: for the air of the Chief Magistrate to be open
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  Speaker 1: to favorites of such a complexion. Such a one will
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  Speaker 1: probably neglect his old associates and confer places upon men
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  Speaker 1: of not the first abilities in the Union. These are
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  Speaker 1: selected only in times of imminent danger, after which this
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  Speaker 1: service is Integrity and zeal are too frequently repaid by
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  Speaker 1: the ingratitude of the people, which joined the cry of
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  Speaker 1: the artful, who have never labored in the vineyard, to
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  Speaker 1: send them into oblivieon. The men most opposed to the
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  Speaker 1: British treaty negotiated to one thousand, seven hundred ninety four,
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  Speaker 1: and who stated their objections on the most rational grounds,
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  Speaker 1: were generally those who had been distinguished were their patriotism,
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  Speaker 1: firmness and abilities. They had been very influential in a
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  Speaker 1: variety of departments previous to the year one thousand, seven
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  Speaker 1: hundred and seventy five. Nor had they ever relaxed in
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  Speaker 1: their energies during the course of the war to affect
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  Speaker 1: the emancipation of their country from the tyranny of the
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  Speaker 1: Crown of Britain, and to obtain the independence of the
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  Speaker 1: United States. These circumstances, with the approach of a period
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  Speaker 1: when nature requires rest, rendered the weight of government oppressive
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  Speaker 1: to declining age. The man who had long commanded in
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  Speaker 1: a remarkable manner the affection, the esteem, and the confidence
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  Speaker 1: of his country, again abdicated his power, took leave of
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  Speaker 1: the cares of state, and retired a second time from
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  Speaker 1: all public occupations to the delightful retreats of private life
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  Speaker 1: on his highly cultivated farm on the banks of the Padamac.
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  Speaker 1: Previous to General Washington's second returned to his rural amusements,
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  Speaker 1: he published a farewell addressed to the inhabitants of the
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  Speaker 1: United States, for with advice worthy of the statesman, the hero,
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  Speaker 1: and the citizen, he exhorted them to union among themselves
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  Speaker 1: economy and public expenditure, sopriety, temperance, and industry. In private life,
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  Speaker 1: he solemnly warned them against the danger of foreign influence,
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  Speaker 1: exhorted them to observe good faith and justice toward all nations,
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  Speaker 1: to cultivate peace and harmony with all, to indulge no
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  Speaker 1: inveterate antipathies against any more passionate attachments for particular nations,
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  Speaker 1: but to be constantly awakened against the incities these whiles
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  Speaker 1: of foreign influence, observing that this was one of the
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  Speaker 1: most baneful foes of Republican government. This was indeed, after
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  Speaker 1: they were split into factions, after an exotic taste had
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  Speaker 1: been introduced into America, which had a tendency to enhance
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  Speaker 1: their public and to accumulate their private debts, and after
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  Speaker 1: the poison of foreign influence, they crept into their councils
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  Speaker 1: and created a passion to assimilate the politics and the
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  Speaker 1: government of the United States nearer to the model of
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  Speaker 1: European monarchies than the letter of the Constitution, by any
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  Speaker 1: fair construction, would admit. It was also after luxury had
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  Speaker 1: sped over every class, while the stimulus to private industry
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  Speaker 1: was in a degree cut off by the capture of
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  Speaker 1: their shipping by the bulligerent powers under various pretenses of
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  Speaker 1: the breach of neutrality. After this period, new contingencies arose
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  Speaker 1: in the decay. Discussions were required with regard to foreign
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  Speaker 1: relations and connections that had no pacific operation or any
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  Speaker 1: tendency to conciliate the minds or to quiet protrue spirits
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  Speaker 1: of excesting parties. The operations of the consequences of the
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  Speaker 1: civil administration of the first President of the United States,
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  Speaker 1: notwithstanding the many excellent qualities of his heart and the
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  Speaker 1: virtues which adorned his life, have since been viewed at
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  Speaker 1: such opposite points that for the strictures on his character
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  Speaker 1: and conduct shall be left to future historians. After time
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  Speaker 1: has mollified the passions and prejudices of the present generation.
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  Speaker 1: A new constitution and an extensive government in which he
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  Speaker 1: acted eight years as Chief Magistrate open a new field
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  Speaker 1: of observation. The future pens to descant on the merits
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  Speaker 1: or demerits of a man admired abroad, beloved at home,
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  Speaker 1: and celebrated through have the globe. This will be done
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  Speaker 1: according to the variety of opinions which will ever exist
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  Speaker 1: among mankind. When character is surveyed in the cool moments
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  Speaker 1: of calm philosophy, which contemplates the nature and passions of
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  Speaker 1: man and the contingent circumstances that lift him to the
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  Speaker 1: skies or leave him in the shade of doubtful opinion,
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  Speaker 1: public opinion is generally grounded on truth. But the enthusiasm
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  Speaker 1: to which the greatest part of mankind are liable often
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  Speaker 1: urges the passions to such a degree of extravagance as
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  Speaker 1: to confound the just racial of praise or reproach. But
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  Speaker 1: the services and merits of General Washington are so deeply
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  Speaker 1: engraven on the hearts of his countramend that no time
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  Speaker 1: was circumstance will or ought ever to efface the lust
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  Speaker 1: of his well earned reputation. We have already seen that
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  Speaker 1: after the peace the infant Confederated States exhibited scenes and
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  Speaker 1: disclosed projects that open too wide a field for discussion
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  Speaker 1: to bring down a regular historical work farther than the
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  Speaker 1: moment which winds up the drama of the military, political,
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  Speaker 1: and civil administration of a man whose name will have
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  Speaker 1: a conspicuous place in all future historical records. History may
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  Speaker 1: not furnish an example when the person so generally admired
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  Speaker 1: and possessed of equal opportunities for making himself the despot
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  Speaker 1: of master the liberties of his country, who had the
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  Speaker 1: moderation repeatedly to the best himself of all authority, and
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  Speaker 1: retired to private life with the sentiments expressed by himself.
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  Speaker 1: In the close of his farewell address. He there observed,
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  Speaker 1: I anticipate with pleasing expectation, that retreat in which I
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  Speaker 1: promised myself to realize without alloy, the sweet enjoyment of
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  Speaker 1: partaking in the midst of my fellow citizens, the benign
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  Speaker 1: influence of good laws under a free government, the ever
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  Speaker 1: favorite object of my heart, and the happy reward, as
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  Speaker 1: I trust, of our mutual cares, labors, and dangers. The
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  Speaker 1: commander of the Armies of the United States has been
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  Speaker 1: conducted from the field of war, and from the zenith
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  Speaker 1: of civil command, to the delicious retreats of peaceful solitude.
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  Speaker 1: We now leave him in the shade of retirement, with fervent,
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  Speaker 1: which is that he may wind up the career of
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  Speaker 1: human life in that tranquility which becomes the hero and
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  Speaker 1: the Christian. The administration of his immediate successor, we shall
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  Speaker 1: also leave after some general observations on the character of
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  Speaker 1: a man who long acted in the most conspicuous departments
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  Speaker 1: of American affairs. The veracity of an historian requires that
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  Speaker 1: all those who have distinguished, either by their abilities or
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  Speaker 1: their elevated rank, should be exhibited through every peer. To
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  Speaker 1: read a public life with impartiality and truth. But the
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  Speaker 1: heart of the analyst may sometimes be heard by political deviations,
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  Speaker 1: which the pendethist during is obliged to record. Mister Adams
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  Speaker 1: was undoubtedly a statesman of penetration and ability, but his
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  Speaker 1: prejudices and his passions were sometimes too strong for his
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  Speaker 1: sagacity and judgment. End of Section forty five.